Local care team, YRBS and hospitalization data highlight mental-health needs among Calvert students

Julie Moschino presented data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey showing that 34% of middle-school respondents and 33% of high-school respondents reported a depressive episode in the previous 12 months (YRBS, local administration). She said 349 high-school students reported seriously considering suicide in the 2022'23 administration of the survey and that the data were published in June 2024.

"This is Calvert County," Moschino said when asked whether the YRBS numbers were local. She explained the survey is administered locally through public schools with an opt-out provision under Maryland law and is contracted to a survey vendor. Committee members asked about sample sizes and subgroup disaggregation; Moschino noted the percent figures shown are calculated among respondents in each subgroup and offered to provide further breakdowns from the full report.

Moschino also summarized pediatric mental-health hospitalizations from the hospital's community-health dashboard (Maryland Health Service Cost Review Commission data), reporting that Calvert County's age-adjusted hospitalization rate for youth mental-health diagnoses remains above the statewide value. She clarified that the hospitalization numbers reflect admissions and that methodology changes affect year-to-year comparisons.

On coordination, Moschino described the Local Care Team: a Family Network'hosted multidisciplinary table where parents participate and professionals brainstorm referrals and supports. Referrals reviewed by the team rose from 64 cases in 2022 to 89 in 2024, with most referrals in the 12'16 age range; Moschino said the majority of referrals currently come from public schools and that parent consent is required for a referral to proceed.